encroach

[en-krohch]

verb (used without object)

1. to advance beyond proper, established, or usual limits; make gradual inroads.

   A dictatorship of the majority is encroaching on the rights of the individual.

2. to trespass upon the property, domain, or rights of another, especially stealthily or by gradual advances.

encroach

/ ɪnˈkrəʊtʃ /

verb

1. to intrude gradually, stealthily, or insidiously upon the rights, property, etc, of another

2. to advance beyond the usual or proper limits

Other Word Forms

• encroacher noun
• unencroached adjective
• encroachment noun
• encroachingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of encroach¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English encrochen, from Anglo-French encrocher, Old French encrochier “to catch hold of, seize,” equivalent to en- en- ¹ + -crochier, verbal derivative of croc “hook,” from Germanic; crooked, crook ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of encroach¹

C14: from Old French encrochier to seize, literally: fasten upon with hooks, from _en- ¹ + croc hook, of Germanic origin; see _crook

Synonym Study

See trespass.

Example Sentences

In the post he said: "If Russian planes encroach over Nato territory, Britain should shoot them down."

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By the 1860s, the U.S. government reduced the Crow’s land to a much smaller strip, and the park’s creation further encroached on tribal lands.

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"His body was encroaching onto me which made me feel uncomfortable. It was summer and I was wearing a dress and he ran his hand up the side of my thigh."

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Speaking to reporters afterwards, Tice called for MPs to take a more active role in debating the policy, arguing they were reluctant to do so for fear of encroaching on the bank's independence.

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Roughly midway through, Pynchon’s characters hightail it all the way to proto-fascist Budapest, where shadows more lethal than any Tommy gun begin to encroach.

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Related Words

• horn in 
• impinge 
• infringe 
• intrude 
• trespass 
• usurp